We Were Humans Once
by Akeboshi Shiba
Summary: When Cayde is presented with a strange guardian, he has to figure out what to do with her. He also has to figure out what exactly draws him to her. She's human, but she has an Exo leg. She's a disciple of Eris Morn, but his student as well. Maybe it lies in the fact that she reminds him of someone...someone dear to him. After all...she is his ghost now...and they were human once.


I do not own Destiny or Destiny 2.

It was just another day for him. Another… incredibly boring…. Day. He tapped his fingers on the table and glanced around at Ikora and Zavala. They didn't seem to have anything interesting for him to do, nor did they have anything to say. He released an airless sigh and leaned back to stretch. "Can I do something?" "No." Zavala replied shortly and Cayde-6's blue eyes narrowed at the awoken male. "Why not?" he asked and Zavala looked up from the papers he was flipping through. "Do you not remember the last time we let you go out and do something outside of the tower?" Ikora asked, expressing the words that Zavala's unamused look held. If Cayde-6 could smirk, he definitely would.

"Well, yeah… of course." He chuckled and a small twitch tugged at her lips as well. "See! Even you think it was funny, Ikora! So can I do something? I've got to get out of this tower." He said and she shook her head. "Sorry Cayde-6 not this time." She said and he started to grumble inaudibly. "I just want to do something damnit." He grumbled out and the other vanguard leaders stifled their amusement. "You probably should have thought about that before you took the dare, Cayde." Ikora quipped and he grumbled at her some more. It was suddenly silent and all three of the vanguard exchanged glances. "Do you feel that?" Ikora asked softly and both Cayde-6 and Zavala nodded.

"What is this? It burns at me and I don't even have senses." Cayde-6 muttered and Zavala nodded. "Feel free to go check it out." Ikora offered and Cayde-6 was out of the vanguard room before they could halt his advance. The reflective sheen covered him and he vanished from sight completely. He snuck around the tower until he pinpointed what was giving them the odd feeling. What had originally caught his attention was the voice. Her bell like tone had caused his gaze to land on her from the hallway that led to the barracks.

There was a woman… a human woman. No… there was something off about her. She stood off kilter between the two brothers that followed the speaker around, so it seemed she knew them. Her posture became slightly more rigid and she turned in his direction and began looking around. Those eyes caught him completely off guard that if he could breathe, his breathe would probably have gotten caught in his throat.

The spark her eyes sent through his system astonished him in every manner. She turned further around to search for something it seemed and that's when his eyes caught sight of the beat-up scrap of junk that was connected to her upper thigh. Her left leg was gone, as in it was completely robotic. She brushed her hair away from her face slightly and he repressed a small chuckle as the irritated look crossed her face. Oh yes… this was a strange woman indeed. The image of a familiar face flickered in his mind's eye and he backed around the corner to make his way back to the vanguard room. His ghost hovered around him, watching him with a cautious gaze.

"Cayde." His ghost called and he glanced over at her, an amused shimmer in his blue eyes. "Yes, Ivara?" he asked and her body rotated and adjusted as she contemplated what to say. "Can you feel that?" she asked and he nodded. "Yep, she's different." "No, not what I meant." She said and he looked at her in confusion. "What then?" he asked and she sighed. "You remember your encounter with prince Uldren? The woman that was with him?" she asked and Cayde-6 tapped his chin in thought for a moment and then he snapped hid fingers as if he had remembered something, only to sigh and shake his head. "Nope, I've got nothing." He said and if his ghost could roll her eye, she would have.

"Her genetic makeup seems to be highly similar to the Wolve's Bane, as Uldren had called her. Could they possibly be related?" she asked and he shrugged. "I dunno. Honestly, if anything I thought she looked like you for a moment." Cayde-6 said with a shrug and Ivara released a 'Hmph'. He crammed his hands into his pockets and made his way back into the vanguard room. Zavala looked up almost instantaneously. "You find anything?" he asked and Cayde-6 shrugged. "Not really, we have a new guardian is all." He said and Zavala quirked a brow. "Cayde-6 you seem so disinterested, is it perhaps she is not a hunter?" Ikora asked and he shrugged.

"I dunno. Didn't get close enough to her." Cayde-6 sighed and they exchanged looks. "Well, she will have to come here soon enough, so you will get to either way." Zavala said and returned to his paperwork. Cayde-6 knew that this paperwork was nothing more than the ranking system he had created to protect the guardians. The vanguard were at the highest of ranks, while one through thirty were below that. He glanced over and saw one of the speaker's assistants had brought him another file to add to the stack. The name stuck out like a sore thumb, it was an odd one, but he supposed it was the woman's real name rather than her guardian name. A file sitting next to Ikora had a similar name, although it was in smaller letters. The name Loki was in larger ones on the tab of the file.

'Marie Reyes. Stephan Reyes.' Could have been coincidence, except he had seen the warlock that called himself Loki. He had an awoken friend that called himself Lionheart, but everyone called him Lion. The facial structure of the warlock was similar to the woman who seemed to call herself Ashura. He supposed he shouldn't be so nosey, seeing as she wasn't his guardian, but it was his nature. And he was also bored. "She's not one of mine, she doesn't seem to be the type that could glide as well as my warlocks do." Ikora's voice ripped him from his thoughts and his eyes landed on her.

She was filthy, worn down, and had splotches of blood splashed about her form. But up close like this, he could confirm what he had originally been thinking. This woman, she looked just like her… "Oh, an odd one, finally another one!" Cayde-6 chirped in excitement. He was going to figure this woman out even if it were the last thing he did. He vaguely heard Zavala and her talk back and forth, but he tuned it out slightly. He wanted her. This was exciting for him for reasons even he didn't know. Maybe it was because she so very closely resembled the human that Ivara once was.

The pale features, smooth porcelain skin, the shimmer of deceit in those silver eyes…. Que record scratch. That's where she was different. Ivara's silver eyes matched the lens she held as a ghost. Silver around the edges but cyan blue in the center around the pupil. She was still strikingly similar in appearance. His ghost hovered around scanning woman silently. To keep her from paying mind to his ghost, he tossed an arm over her shoulder and started his speech. "Ok… So kid, this can go either way, you could be a titan… or you could be a hunter…" he said and she blinked in confusion. He placed both hands on her shoulders as Ivara finished scanning her.

"But either way, I will still love you… even if it turns out you aren't mine." He said and she only blinked at him once more in utter silence. Her gaze drifted to Ikora who was laughing softly behind her hand, then to Zavala who was shaking his head in amusement. He smirked internally as he saw the small smile tug at her lips as well. "Ok, so what do I do?" she asked and her voice caught him completely off guard. The gentle ring it held… the smile so visibly held in her tone… this woman was going to be an odd reminder of what Ivara once was it seemed. His ghost looked her over once more and he cleared his throat as he stepped away from the conference table that Zavala had begun to lift and move out of the way with a single hand.

"Holy Shhhh-"she began but he clapped a metal hand over her mouth before she could finish the statement. "Shhh… none of that my potential little hunter." He said and released her once more. The small amused smile that tugged at her lips was just like the ones he remembered Ivara sending his way. She was busy going back and forth with Zavala so he decided he was going to pester her into doing something. He could tell that every word that came out of his mouth was a bother to her. Not only that, he had no lungs… so he could go on talking for seemingly forever. He began prodding her to see if it would force her to do something and it seemed to be working, she was getting more irate by the second.

"Cayde!" Zavala snarled but he wasn't through, "If you don't stop talking I'm going to splatter your mechanical body across that wall!" "Oh bite my horn Zavala! It's not like your method of attempting to get her to do something was working!" "You're only interested in her for personal reasons!" Zavala snapped and Cayde-6 threw both hands towards her in a manner of nonverbally saying ' look'. "Zavala, I mean look at her!" he exclaimed and pointed at her yet again. "She's so damn short it's adorable." That was the last thing he had managed to say before the impact hit him and sent him flying. He felt part of him crunch when she had hit. Deep down, he felt… sad…

Saddened that she had just shoulder charged him. Saddened because she was not in fact a hunter. He sighed and began pulling himself out of his crater. When he looked up he couldn't help but feel elated. She was nowhere to be seen, but her voice rang loud and clear. Like the silver bell that he carried everywhere with him. He tried his best to withhold a cheer, but when Ikora touched her and she became visible once more he couldn't help it. "Haha! She's still one of mine! I win!" he cheered and slunk over to her. He ignored Zavala's comment, but was still incredibly excited.

"I love my little hunters. He said as he hugged himself to her. He gave her a little space, but propped his elbow on her head, while propping his own head on the hand he was propped on her with. There was a stark height difference to them, but then again, he was a fairly tall exo. "So, whatcha doing later my partial exo friend?" he asked, a sultry tone to his voice and she balked at him. "You're not serious." He released a small chuckle before patting her cheek lightly. "Oh, trust me. If I were human or awoken, I would totally act upon impulse." He said, and she stared at him with blank unamused eyes. "You're kidding me right?" she asked and he nodded. "Of course, although… if you ever need anyone to… electrify your circuits, give me a call." He said with a wink and she just stared at him as he strolled around her, wrapping a cloak around her shoulders with the gentlest of touches.

Zavala said something to her as he handed her some partial titan armor. Cayde-6 watched him carefully trying to figure out what he had given her, seeing as though Cayde-6 had already given her hunter armor. She seemed to look it over as well as she walked out. "Seriously Cayde-6?" Ivara hissed as she thunked into the side of his head as he watched the young woman leave. "You're a filthy pervert." She hissed as she turned her ghost body just enough to grab his hood and yank it down over his eyes.

"What? I was messing with her." He sputtered defensively and her single lens stayed narrowed at him. "Cayde, I for one thought you would at least be smart enough not to flirt with other women, seeing as your... girlfriend? Former girlfriend? Either way, your significant other is your ghost." Ikora quipped as she filtered through her own paperwork. "Oh, Ivara knows she's my one and only." Cayde-6 sputtered as he reached to hug his ghost but she hovered up and out of his reach. "Bite a screw, Cayde." She spat as she kept a constant height so he couldn't reach her no matter much hopping he did. "Ivara…" he called and she glanced down at him to see he had stopped trying to grab her out of the air. He was holding out his hand, and within that hand was the ribbon she used to have tied in her hair all the time.

"My bell." She said softly as she hovered down to him. "You still have it?" she asked and he nodded. "I would let you have it back, but… seeing as you have no hair… I cant. And I'm not going to tie it to my horn either, my beautiful horn is beautiful just the way it is." He said and she released a laugh. "Come on Cayde-6, shouldn't you head to the barracks and wind down, maybe have a glass of something in the bar?" she asked and he shrugged and made his way from the room.

"Cayde-6…" Ivara spoke out of nowhere, the walk to the bar had been silent, and the first hour of sitting there had been even quieter. "Yes, dearest?" he asked and she observed him carefully. "She reminds you of me, doesn't she?" she asked and he fiddled with his glass the odd colored liquid within sloshing around heavily. "Yeah. Every time I look at her I remember more about when we were human than I ever have before." Cayde-6 said and she nodded lightly. "I understand that completely." She said and he glanced back over at her. "Do you remember the first time we met up before you had your sixth reset?" she asked and he thought for a moment before he shook his head.

"I was Ivara-8. You had just recently passed away from your human form. I didn't remember you then, but now that my memory has all been compacted together… I remember the day I became your ghost… all the way back to the day my human body died. It's strange and horrifying." She said softly and he nodded. He thought about all the exo he had seen in his lifetime and if he could frown there would definitely be one on his lips. "Ivara… why is it so hard to believe?" he asked and she watched him carefully. "Hard to believe what?" she asked and he sighed. "Why is it so hard to believe that we were all human once?" he asked and she looked down to watch the liquid ripple in his glass.

"I don't know Cayde-6." She whispered and he downed the glass completely. "I want nothing more than to be human again, Ivara… and I want nothing more than for you to have that as well." He said and she hovered down to nudge his hand. "It is saddening to think that it'll never happen, isn't it?" she asked and he nodded as he brushed his thumbs over the surface of her shell. "How happy were you, when you realized that inside this scrap heap of metal… it was me?" Cayde-6 asked and he could practically hear the smile in her tone. "Possibly about as happy as you were when you realized it was me inside this tiny little shell." She said and he chuckled.

He could remember their actual reunion like it had just been recent… about as recent as having met Ashura.

:-:-: Flashback:-:-:

She hovered around, scanning the Exo before her. It was strange. This was what appeared to be an Exo that had never had any form of life to touch its dead wires. She had never seen an Exo like it though… she continued to scan it and the surroundings. The only remote sense of life this Exo seemed to have was the deceased human that died clinging to it. Ebony hair clung to the dried corpse, the masculine features screamed at her even though the man seemed to have been deceased quite a while. She scanned over him and a name appeared in her data banks. 'Cayde…' the name and DNA connection to a partial awoken male named Ace screamed at her.

She shuffled that information to the back of her memory banks. Once she had stored enough energy, her body burst open and began to pulsate. Her body shot back in on itself and the names came flying back to the front of her memory banks. When the Exo lunged up and looked around, his gaze landed on her almost immediately. "What… the Hell…" he grumbled as he looked from her, to his now mechanical hands. "Oh my God! What did you do to me!" he yelled and she watched him in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" she asked and he jerked his head up to look at her once more. "Ivara?" he asked and he touched her shell, which released some sort of static shock and memories came flooding in. He caught her as she fell from the air. "Oh… my…" she whispered as she tried to regain her vision. "What is going on?" she asked and he hugged her to him tightly. "Whoa whoa whoa! What are you doing! I don't know you!" she stammered and struggled to get out of his grasp.

"Ivara, it's me! It's Cayde!" he exclaimed and she backed up to scan over him. "But… that body there is… Cayde." She said and he looked at her with unamused eyes. "You think?!" he yelled and pointed at himself. "Why else would I ask what the hell you did to me!" he shouted and she looked from the decayed human body, to the Exo before her… only to let out a laugh. "Oh… this is great!" she laughed and he huffed, the orange lights in his mouth glowing brightly. "This is just amazing." She laughed and he crossed his arms over his chest. "What is so great about this?" he asked stubbornly and she shook herself from side to side, as if shaking her head.

"Cayde, how in the world did you manage to live for years as a human, but I couldn't even live as a human or Exo?" she asked and he shrugged. "How did you die?" she asked and he blinked at her with his robotic blue eyes. "I guess I got cocky…" he said and she laughed once more. "Oh… this is lovely… either way, come on. Follow me. We have catching up to do."

:-:-:-:-:

 _Four months later…_

Cayde-6 waited patiently for her to return. Ivara hovered excitedly beside him as well. Ashura had come to somewhat like the exuberant vanguard leader, after all… certain events had come to pass that gave her no choice to seek someone to bond with. Her twin sister, Kira, had been killed in a raid of the vault of glass. He had warned her against it, but they had all delved into the depths anyways. She was suffering, physically and emotionally. It seemed somehow his presence was calming to her, despite the fact she was openly brash towards him all the time. When she came into view, she was not alone. Her older brother, who in fact had been Loki, was beside her. He seemed equally as irritated.

He was trying to figure out what could have angered the two of them, but as soon as he saw the third member of their team, he knew. The awoken man was trying to catch up to them, a smirk on his lips as he nonchalantly tried to deny all of their allegations. "Hey look though, if Ashura hadn't run off and kept trying to suck face with the prince, this would've gone so much smoother." The man countered Loki's snarky remark that Cayde-6 had missed altogether. Cayde-6 took a couple steps away from the doorway, only for Lion to be sent flying through. "I was not trying to suck face with his royal assholeness!" she snarled and both Cayde-6 and Ivara looked at Lion, then back to Ashura.

"Ashura! My lovely!" he chirped and draped an arm over her shoulder as he slunk in beside her to walk with her. "I take it your mission didn't fare too well?" he asked and she glared at him from the corner of her eyes. That silver piercing gaze caused his mechanical spine to jolt. "Yikes… uh ok." He said as he stepped over Lion, expecting her to do the same, but she hopped right back onto his back as he tried to get up, causing him to hit the floor once more. "She's only angry because we caught her and the prince trying to suck face." Lion called from the floor and a slight pink tint covered Ashura's cheeks.

"I was not!" she snapped and made her way to the barracks once more where he followed. She tried to close the door on him, but him being of taller stature and mechanical strength, he stopped her swiftly. "So…" he began and she flopped on her bed. "Is this a love interest I am hearing about?" he asked with an amused tone and she gave him a sour look. "He is rude, has no regard for personal space, and he molested my Exo leg with a knife, so you tell me… does that seem like love?" she snapped and he blinked at her.

"Sounds kinda kinky if you ask me." He said offhandedly and she growled into her pillow. "Did you at least find him attractive?" Cayde-6 asked in a dead serious tone and she looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Really? Are you going to get jealous?" she asked and he blinked once but his reply was instant. "Yes." It was such a curt and sudden reply that it caught her off guard. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply. Cayde-6 wondered what she could be pondering and he was extremely curious. "So…" she began and he listened intently. "You, My mentor, an Exo…" she continued, a small annoyed laugh escaping her. Oh this was deeply amusing to him now. He could get under her skin so easily. "Are going to be jealous because some odd, attractive awoken has some sort of unhealthy interest in me?" she asked and he watched her for a moment.

"Yes." He replied in the same simplistic manner as he had before. She rubbed her brow and he could feel the heated gaze as his beloved Ivara behind him. "Why?" Ashura asked with a strained voice and he crossed his arms over his chest. If he could have given her a dejected look, he would have. "Ok, so I wont take you questioning my motives as an insult-" "You Should." Ashura cut in mid sentence and he narrowed his eyes at her, but continued talking. "But, I'm honestly hurt." He said and she rolled her eyes. "Look, I know you're a human and I'm an Exo… but-" "You're far older than me and Exos don't and cant reproduce." She butted in once more effectively cutting him off mid rant.

He still had his hand in the air pointing at her matter-of-factly, his jaws still agape. A familiar laugh echoed around them and he turned to see Ikora standing in the doorway. "You know, Cayde…" Ikora began and he looked at her. "Exo were created to protect humanity… not impregnate it." Ikora said and Cayde-6's eyes glowed a little brighter. "Ah, and as that is true, it is also unfair." He said and Ashura scoffed. "Why don't you go ask Holliday to electrify your circuits, Cayde?" she muttered as she filtered through her things. "Well someone's attitude is definitely insufferable today. He said and she snorted. "Can it metal man." She said and he huffed.

"Can we cool it with the metal man jokes please?" he asked and she shrugged. "Sure." She said and he blinked at her in confusion. "Wait what?" he asked and she laughed softly. "I've got to go. See ya later…" she began and an odd glimmer flit through her eyes. "Mr. unicorn." She said as she vanished from view. "Hey, no disrespecting my horn… my beautiful, beautiful horn." He muttered as he watched her go. "You do that to mess with her, don't you?" Ikora asked and he nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest. He moved to lean against the doorway and looked her in the eyes. "Yeah… that poor kid… she's been through her own sort of hell. Hopefully I'm amusing enough to distract her from everything else that's screwing with her head." He sighed and Ikora nodded softly.

"Cayde, I do believe you are the most understanding out of all of us vanguard." Ikora began and he turned to look at her once more. "Despite the fact you are an Exo, you are so much more human than you think." She said and he thanked her softly. Ivara hovered down to land in his grasp he brushed over her shell gently as if it comforted him. "I just don't want my fellow guardians… my fellow hunters… I don't want any of them to have regrets." He said and she nodded.

"I understand fully." Ikora said and she watched as Cayde-6 struggled with his words. "She has so many regrets though..." he said and Ikora nodded. "Yes… yes she does. She recently lost not only a good friend, but her sister. She's trying so hard to hide that she's suffering, but it's hard on her. Especially their blame… they blame her for everything." Ikora said and he nodded. "Yeah…" "Don't lose her Cayde. The loss of my warlock… I feel it deep within me when it happens… it grips at me like a clawed animal trying to escape. It incites such a rage within me that it scares me. When I lose my warlocks… my children… it isn't just an emotional pain, it is a physical pain." She said and he nodded in understanding.

"That is why I worry so much about her in particular… she's reckless. And maybe it's the partial titan nature that causes her to be that way, but damn if it doesn't make me panic." He sighed. Ikora looked around and she frowned. "You may need to try and find her Cayde." Ikora mentioned and he nodded. Cayde-6 glanced over at his ghost who was silent for the better part of the last few hours. "Ivara, are you alright?" he asked and she glanced at him. "Cayde. I think I understand exactly how you see similarities in us." She said and he listened intently, waiting for her to speak.

"She's just like how I was… as a human…" she said and he shrugged. "You were nicer." He chuckled and she swore at that moment if she could have smiled she would've. "You know, Cayde… it is actually really funny." She said and he blinked over at her as she hovered next to him. "What is?" he asked and she turned to face him slightly. "We never did get married… but now… it's like we did.." she said and he watched her oddly. "How so?" he asked as he made his way down to the bar he knew Ashura would be frequenting. "It's till death do us part, Cayde. Except if I die, we part. But if you die… we are still together forever." She said and he chuckled and grabbed her out of the sky to carefully cuddle her against him.

"Heh, who knew… you are a sap." He chuckled as he released her back to hover. His mood was killed instantly when he heard soft sniffles from within the bar. "Ashura?" he called and her head shot up. "I'm really sorry about your sister, Ashura." He began and she glared at him with her angry bloodshot eyes. "Cayde… no. Please don't start." She begged and he made his way over to sit beside her. He reached to embrace her but she constantly fought him and shoved at him. He managed to get her standing and he embraced her tightly. "I'm going to because you need someone." He said and hugged her to him tightly. She continued to try to struggle against him for a few minutes, but eventually she seemed to realize she wasn't going to get free.

He reached up and patted her hair gently. "Ashura… let me help you…" he offered softly, the sound of her sobs didn't seem to stifle either. "Cayde… I wasn't real… I wasn't the one that was supposed to live…" she sobbed and he reached to brush the tears from her eyes. "Kira was the one who deserved to live… I'm only a disappointment… she was everything I was supposed to be, except she became that without trying…" she sobbed and he watched as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "That may be how you feel, Ashura… but in no way is it true." He said and she shook her head. "What good have I done since I have been here Cayde?" she asked angrily and he forced her to look him in the eyes.

"You helped me." He said and she attempted to stifle her cries. "How?" she asked and he ruffled her hair gently, only to hug her to him tightly once more. "How did I help you Cayde?" she asked once more, her voice a little stronger. "Ashura…" Ivara called and the white haired woman looked at her. "You made him feel human again. You treat him no different than you treat anyone else. You treat him like he is no different than you." Ivara said and Ashura stared at Cayde-6 with wide eyes. "C-Cayde?" he pulled himself away from her slightly and he pulled something from a pouch on his hip. He couldn't think of any words, but Ivara knew him so well. He supposed that was why he loved the woman turned ghost.

"Ashura… do me a favor." He began and she looked up at him. "Never lose this. It was Ivara's bell. It belonged to her mother, who gave it to her. When she was fatally wounded, Ivara gave it to me." He said and Ashura shook her head. "No. I refuse." She said and he looked at her with confusion coating his being. "When, and only when… you are at wits end… when you are dying and your light is fading… can you give me that bell." She said and he nodded.

He knew though… one day… she would get that little silver bell. No one lived forever, even he knew this. As saddening as it would be for him or Ivara… what she had said was true. Till death do them part, and he knew he couldn't protect Ivara forever.

Ok, so yes. Bad, very bad. I've done this horrible thing again where I start another branch of a story and haven't even finished the original. I know… but I can only hope that you will all understand that when I get the urge to write, it hits and it literally punches me into submission. Either way, I am continuing the other two parts of this series as well. I have the newest chapter of those of the light written in beautiful detail in my notebook, so there's that. A Day to Remember has its third chapter coming too, I promise. Much love and I hope you enjoy!


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